Vietnam Is a Partner, Not an Ally Against China
Opinion by Brantly Womack
•
4d
On Sept. 10, Joe Biden will become the sixth American president to visit Vietnam. It will be quite a different visit from the first presidential visitor. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson spent one day at the American military base in Da Nang, visiting with our troops. Biden will also spend one day, but in Hanoi. His visit has been prepared by numerous Cabinet-level working visits, and will raise the official U.S.-Vietnam relationship from a “comprehensive partnership” to a “strategic partnership.”
Vietnam has three ranks of official partnerships and Biden’s visit will move us to the middle level, and possibly beyond. The top level of Vietnam’s partnerships — “comprehensive strategic partnership” — is currently occupied by Russia, China, India and South Korea, with Australia an incoming addition. By the standards of American foreign policy, this top group is a mixed lot: two of our allies, one cornerstone of the Indo-Pacific, and then Russia and China, the two main targets of our strategic thinking. What is going on?
Like most countries in the developing world, Vietnam tries to reduce its international uncertainties by stabilizing and improving relationships with as many countries as possible. Membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is important to Vietnam, as are relationships with partners outside the region. The partnerships are “both/and,” not “either/or.” To have a bad relationship with China, its neighbor and major trading partner, would hamper Vietnam’s economy and greatly increase its anxiety.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/vietnam-is-a-partner-not-an-ally-against-china/ar-AA1gtaXY
